->''You see, I am simply one [[StealthPun hell]] of a butler.''-->--'''Sebastian Michaelis'''

''Black Butler'' (''Kuroshitsuji'' in Japanese) is a {{Shonen|Demographic}} manga and companion {{anime}} series (although it's [[MultipleDemographicAppeal pretty obviously]] looking for a crossover {{Shoujo|Demographic}} audience). Originally created by Toboso Yana.

The Phantomhive family is a respected and distinguished house in VictorianLondon. Despite a mysterious fire killing off the previous Lord and Lady Phantomhive, their [[ImprobableAge twelve-year-old]] (later thirteen) son Ciel Phantomhive has managed to rebuild the family legacy, creating a massive toy and candy company within just three years, and serving the Queen as a major contributor to England's black-ops.

It does help that Ciel [[DealWithTheDevil contracted a demon]] to [[BattleButler serve]] him: Sebastian Michaelis, whose skills range from dispatching any threat to [[SupremeChef baking the perfect pastry]]. He has agreed to aid Ciel until he "succeeds in all of his tasks", upon which Ciel's soul belongs to him. So Ciel [[LivingADoubleLife leads a double life]], his service to the Queen combined with his own dark supernatural dealings, and maintaining the peace of the Phantomhive Mansion and its less than serious staff.

Mix and stir ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' and ''Manga/CountCain'' and a pinch of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' and ''Manga/{{Loveless}}'', at least toward the beginning. No, seriously.

An anime adaptation was produced for the Fall 2008 season by Creator/A1Pictures, although it detours away from the manga's storyline very early on. A second season was produced two years later, with an original story, new characters, and most of the previous season's cast returning. Both seasons were dubbed and distributed in the Americas by Creator/{{Funimation}}.

A live-action movie starring Mizushima Hiro, Gouriki Ayame, and Shirota Yuu was released on January 18, 2014. Taking place 130 years after the events of the manga, in the year 2020, Western and Eastern cultures have blended and 17-year-old Shiori Genpo, a distant relative of Ciel, is the head of the Phantomhive/Genpo estate and Phantom/Funtom Corporation after her parents were mysteriously assassinated when she was a child and she was subsequently kidnapped. She disguises herself as "Kiyoharu Genpo" and, just like her relative before her, returns with a butler named Sebastian Michaelis at her side, whom she has contracted to help her obtain revenge in exchange for her soul. The movie follows Shiori as she is tasked by the Queen of the Western Nations to investigate a slew of serial mummification deaths, also referred to as "The Devil's Curse".

A third season, covering the Noah's Circus arc, aired July 2014 as part of the Summer 2014 anime season.

Character sheet for the anime series, the musical, and the movie is [[Characters/BlackButler here]].----

!!A Phantomhive butler whose series can't demonstrate examples of the following tropes isn't worth his salt:

[[index]][[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Manga/Series General]]

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The ''table knives'' Sebastian uses as ''weapons''.** Claude's knives in the second season apply as well.* ActionGirl: [[spoiler:Elizabeth Middleford]], surprisingly.** [[spoiler: Mey-rin]], who turns out to be an effective sniper.** Also, [[MsFanservice Ranmao, in the anime]].* AdorablyPrecociousChild: Ciel. A very bitter, very driven one. But before his bitterness, he was just so damn ''cute''! Differs slightly from the norm in that the only people who treat him as adorable [[BewareTheCuteOnes are the ones who don't know him very well]].* {{Adorkable}}: Arthur from the murder mystery arc.** Grell in butler form counts as well.** Finnian.** And, for a rare female example, Maylene.** As of Chapter 91, [[CuteWitch Sieglinde]] may also qualify.* AerithAndBob: People with names like "Grell Sutcliff", "Aleister Chamber", and "Ciel Phantomhive" are sharing screentime with names like "Jim Macken", "Charles Grey", and "William T. Spears".* AffablyEvil: It's easy to forget that Sebastian is, in fact, a soul-devouring demon.* AgentPeacock: Sebastian wears CombatStilettos [[spoiler:in his demon form]], and Ciel is quite the dandy; both are badasses of the first order.* AlphaBitch: Despite being male, this is the only way to describe Maurice Cole.** BitchInSheepsClothing* AllMenArePerverts: Hilariously played for Sieglinde Sullivan in the [[LostWoods Werewolf's Forest]] arc. Because her village is inhabited by women (and the only man is more of a guard dog), when Ciel and Sebastian spend the night in her castle, in order to be friendly with them, she was willing to ''[[http://www.mangareader.net/kuroshitsuji/89/16 give herself to them]]'' because of all the books she read about men being lustful creatures. Made even more awkward because Ciel can barely understand German, creating a ArentYouGoingToRavishMe scene.* AluminumChristmasTrees: See ShownTheirWork below. The AnachronismStew gets limited to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and the anime.* AmazonChaser: The [[IronLady Marchioness of Midford]] (Elizabeth's mother) met her husband after beating him in a fencing duel.* AnachronismStew: Quite a few examples, however whether intentional or not is unclear.** What are TheMafia, dressed in modern clothing, doing in Victorian England? Not to mention cell phones. (The anime, at least, attempted to retrograde their tech somewhat.)** There's also the television and video games. ''In Victorian England''.** Sebastian appears to wear latex gloves when he works in the kitchen.** Let's not forget about a certain shinigami using a chainsaw, the cook using flame throwers, or the modern washing machine in the Phantomhive Manor. In the manga, only shinigami have out-of-place artifacts (for instance, the "strange watch" and odd glasses of one guy from chapter 52).** Ciel's pierced ears were extremely uncommon for the nobility back then. His father had them as well. ** The clothing isn't modest enough. Both Victorian and Edwardian fashions were very modest; exposed legs and cleavage would have been obscene. Mey-Rin's bathing suit would have been scandalous and Yana Toboso gave up even trying with the ladies' costume party and Ciel in Wonderland costumes. Also, Elizabeth's fashion sense sometimes sinks into 18th-century territory.*** Although the outfits in the Ciel in Wonderland OVA might be explained by the fact that the entire thing [[spoiler:is a thirteen-year-old boy's dream...]]** Servant-Master relationships were ''plenty'' different. RuleOfFunny [[RuleOfCool and Cool]] aside, a mansion the size of Phantomhive Manor would have needed at ''least'' ten more servants just to keep it clean; keeping ''one'' maid and ''one'' gardener would be [[BrokenMasquerade a dead giveaway]]. Hell, having the servants ''interact'' with Ciel and his guests regularly would be unheard of. In contrast, Alois' treatment of Hannah, while ''far'' crueler than most employees, is still more believable in contrast. ** The German women living in the forest's village wear clothes from [[http://www.mangareader.net/kuroshitsuji/87/15 centuries ago]].*** {{Lampshaded}} by Ciel and {{justified}}, as it serves to highlight just how ''secluded'' the village is.* AnimatedActors: In the third OVA, "The Making of ''Black Butler'' II", we're given a special behind-the-scenes look with bloopers and interviews provided by Ciel, Sebastian, and the rest of the "cast and crew".* AristocratsAreEvil: Zigzagged. A lot of the opponents that Ciel and Sebastian face are aristocratic, but there are many others who are decent souls.** Ciel himself arguably counts, as a CreepyChild noble who has made a DealWithTheDevil.** Agni's backstory is that he used to be a Brahmin (see UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}--basically, they're the most important members of the caste system in traditional Indian culture) but became a notorious bandit and "monster" in disgust at his father's corruption, though he was reformed after being claimed by Prince Soma as his butler.* ArrangedMarriage: Ciel is only 12 years old, yet he is already engaged to [[KissingCousins his cousin Elizabeth]]. * ArtEvolution* AuthorAppeal: Understandable, considering the author was once a {{Yaoi}} {{Hentai}} mangaka, but:** Nearly every single male character being an outright {{Bishounen}}.** Yana Toboso also has a thing for suave, gentlemanly characters, as seen by Sebastian, Claude (sort of), Aleister Chamber, and various other characters in this and Toboso's other works.** We can assume she likes 'em young too, considering all the fanservice. (That last one isn't even the first time he's been threatened with sexual assault, it's just the most ''graphic''.)* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Besides the, ahem, ''assistance'' from Sebastian and Lau, the Blue House manages [[spoiler:to win]] the cricket match with hard work and a strategy that plays to their unique strengths. * BackFromTheDead: The goal of the Phoenix Society, a group of medical professionals. Their debut attempt...[[CameBackWrong isn't]] [[EmptyShell going]] [[HorrorHunger very]] [[OurZombiesAreDifferent well]].* {{Badass}}: Sebastian. Ciel too, in a different way. ** [[spoiler:The entirety of the household staff, in ''spades''.]]** [[spoiler:And now Ciel's fiancée, Elizabeth.]]** [[spoiler:Undertaker]] has proved himself to be this in later manga chapters.* BadassAdorable[=/=]CuteBruiser: [[spoiler:Elizabeth Midford. This sweet DamselInDistress reveals herself as such in Chapter 57 and confesses that she desperately wanted for her [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise fiancé]] Ciel to not see her "uncute" side and thus [[DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel deliberately hid]] her [[LittleMissBadass badass]] side up until then. Even nearly at the cost of her own life. Only shortly after Ciel berates her for such behavior (Prioritizing lady-manners over survival) when she is about to die while Ciel who, despite his best efforts, ends up injured and unable to save her and is [[DistressedDude in danger]], Elizabeth spontaneously leaps into action and [[WaifFu stabs down the zombies]] using [[DualWielding swords in both hands]], while tearfully declaring that she'll protect him.]]* BadassFamily: The entire [[KnightInShiningArmor Middleford]] family. [[spoiler:Including [[CuteBruiser Elizabeth]]]].* BadassNormal: Agni, Prince Soma's BattleButler. He managed to fight ''Sebastian'', a demon who had been ordered to win (and a direct order basically turns his PowerLimiter off), to a mutual ''draw''. Despite being human. Even Sebastian notes he's an incredible specimen for a human.* BandagedFace: Baron Kelvin in the manga. Also Hannah in the second season of the anime, to cover [[EyeScream the eye that Alois gouged out]].* BarehandedBladeBlock: Sebastian does this against a chainsaw. He's [[CatchPhrase one hell of a butler]], all right.** Hannah pulls it off as well.** Ciel also performs one against Alois.* BattleButler: Sebastian, of course. Also [[spoiler:Grell the {{Shinigami}}]]. And [[{{FunnyForeigner}} Agni]]. Also:** [[spoiler:Mey-Rin the ColdSniper NinjaMaid who is able to use PISTOLS as sniper rifles while leaping from rooftop to rooftop]]** [[spoiler:Finnian, who is strong enough to throw ''statues'' across the room]].** [[spoiler:Tanaka, who is an excellent practitioner of the martial art baritsu]].** [[spoiler:Bard, who, in addition to having a ''Gatling gun'' in his kitchen, effectively blew up a building by igniting a large, highly concentrated cloud of very fine ''flour'']], which, amusingly enough, is actually TruthInTelevision. [[spoiler:Flour explosions]] completely destroyed one of the largest mills in the USA at one point.** And in the anime's second season, Claude Faustus of the Trancy Manor. And the Triplets. [[spoiler:And even Hannah]].** There's also the Queen's butler, Charles Grey, who [[spoiler:was the true murderer in the murder mystery arc of the manga]]. The rest of her butlers probably also apply, though they haven't actually been seen in action yet.* BeautifulDreamer: Ciel, though subverted in that ''everyone'' [[{{Squick}} seems to like watching him sleep]], so this trope can be taken in a non-romantic way.* TheBeautifulElite: {{Lampshade}}d with the Phantomhive family. To quote Ciel's StalkerWithACrush, [[spoiler:Baron Kelvin]]:-->"White porcelain skin like a bisque doll, beautiful hair, big eyes like diamonds, a youthful body. I will become something else. It doesn't matter if my ugly wife leaves me. I will be beautiful with a beautiful life. I will be suitable for him."* BecauseDestinySaysSo: In the manga, Ciel's goal is to torture and kill the people who killed his parents, though, once this goal is complete, it is an almost certain and inescapable fate that Sebastian will eat his soul. In the anime, this is [[spoiler:averted, as Ciel becomes a demon and Sebastian is unable to take his soul]].* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Ciel, depending on how much you consider him "evil".* BigDamnHeroes: If this doesn't describe Greenhill and Edward in chapter 71, nothing does. The two of them kick down the door, Greenhill single-handedly beats the shit out of all the goons holding Ciel in one blow, while Edward does what any sane person would do when rescuing someone and checks to make sure Ciel is alright.* BigFancyHouse: The Phantomhive manor definitely qualifies, as well as Alois's mansion in the second season.* BishieSparkle: Sebastian has this as a possible superpower.** As does Finny. * {{Bishonen}}: Ciel and Sebastian are the most obvious. There's also...pretty much a good majority of the male cast, save for Baron Kelvin, Georg von Siemens, Jumbo, Lord Arthur Randall, Azzurro Vanel, Fred Abberline, Tanaka, Damian, and Doctor. Basically, any male character under the age of 45.** The random guy who tortures Sebastian in Episode 20 is also an (extremely) notable exception.* BlackAndGrayMorality: The protagonist is a 12/13 year-old boy who, at the age of 10, saw both parents murdered; he was subsequently abducted, tortured, and then almost used as a sacrifice in a Satanic ritual. The next most sympathetic group of characters are four seventeen-year-old school boys who [[spoiler:accidentally murdered six people for bullying--because one of the boys lost his temper--then turned the corpses into zombies to hide their crime]], all the while fully convinced they had done it in the name of justice. While there are a number of "white" characters in the series, they are largely unaware of the kind of work that Phantomhive is involved with.** Actually, Ciel was ''successfully'' sacrificed, not ''almost''--that's how he and Sebastian were even able to make a contract with each other in the first place. ** This moral ambiguity is somewhat subverted in the anime, wherein Ciel is much more cynical and less sympathetic as a character than his manga counterpart.** Even the staff, who are best recognized as the cheerful PluckyComicRelief characters, are all [[spoiler:willing to murder in cold blood and clearly desensitized to it]].* BlackComedy* BlindWithoutEm:** Maylene has a particularly bad case of farsightedness. While this makes her [[spoiler:an excellent sniper, to the point where a previous employer said her "amazing eyes" made it the only thing she was good for]], she is clumsy and generally incompetent as a maid.** All of the Shinigami are stated to be BlindWithoutEm.* BlondGuysAreEvil: [[CreepyChild Alois]].** [[spoiler:Cole from the Weston College arc.]]** [[spoiler:[[TheBully Derrick]] [[AristocratsAreEvil Arden]], also from the Weston College arc.]]* BoardingSchool: Weston College. Complete with pranks, hazing, school houses, [[SeriousBusiness school sports]], a spoiled student [[spoiler:who went too far]], [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy Ciel posing as a perfect and kind student]], "fagging", and one minor antagonist abusing the SituationalSexuality.** Also a OneGenderSchool.* BodyHorror: "The werewolf's curse" [[spoiler:or, rather, chemical weapon invented by the villagers and (unwittingly) Siegliende]] has this effect. The victim's face swallows multiple times its size and the skin looks like if it's melted.* BrainsAndBrawn: Subverted with Sebastian and Ciel. Although Sebastian is [[GeniusBruiser also smart]] like Ciel, he is the one who fights against their enemies while Ciel is usually played as TheChessmaster.* BreakingTheFourthWall: In ''Kuroshitsuji II'', Grell addresses the audience directly, saying that she looks forward to letters of encouragement. ** The 3rd OVA from ''Kuroshitsuji II'' breaks it down completely. It's a documentary style episode where the characters are treated as actors in 2010 and talk about everything from their roles and behind the scenes to the filming process (complete with a green screen when they were practicing the Sebastian/Claude fight).** Yet another is the end of the 4th chapter in the manga. As Sebastian goes to answer Ciel's call, he opens the door, then looks back at the reader, puts a finger to his lips, and goes "Shh--".* BreakTheCutie: Ciel, and in the anime's second season, Alois.** There's a few other characters too, such as Freckles[[spoiler:/Doll]] from the circus arc. And, most recently, Siegliende. * BreatherEpisode: The short Easter arc of the manga. It comes immediately after the conclusion of the Campania arc, which was incredibly tense, drawn-out and drama-filled, and almost seems designed to be exactly this after the ordeal of [[spoiler:''zombies'', Elizabeth revealing herself to be LittleMissBadass, and Sebastian being mortally wounded to the point where he can ''barely stand up'' and still managing to beat up on a rookie shinigami and a horde of "[[OurZombiesAreDifferent bizarre dolls]]"]]. Let's face it, we all needed a fluff chapter by this point.* BridalCarry: Sebastian's preferred method of toting Ciel around.* BrokenAce: Ciel.* BunnyEarsLawyer: Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny, because of their ''other'' jobs. Grell as well, in the case of the shinigami.* ButterflyOfDoom: Chaos Theory is mentioned when Ciel and Sebastian [[spoiler:explain to Wordsmith why Siemens was killed and another guy was framed (basically they would've helped their respective countries become so powerful they'd overwhelm England)]].* CallBack: In chapter 10, Grell says to Madame Red is "a boring woman" [[spoiler:right before killing her]], and in chapter 94 Sebastian says that [[spoiler:Ciel's death was utterly boring]]. Hm... * CameBackWrong[=/=]OurZombiesAreDifferent: Maggy, courtesy of Dr. [[{{Dracula}} Stoker]].* CannotTellAJoke: Madame Red. We never get to hear the joke but the cast's reactions range from blank stares to confusion. Lau as well in the same scene.* CastOfSnowflakes: Characters are easily distinguishable because no one looks exactly alike and ages can become extremely varied (especially in the circus and murder mystery arcs). And, what's more is that most of the characters have very detailed clothes (save the queen's three right-hand servants who all wear the same uniform); most notably Ciel who changes clothing every chapter.* {{Catchphrase}}: Sebastian's favorite phrase, "I am a butler through and through" is a play on words in Japanese and can also mean "I am a butler and a demon". This is rendered as "I am one ''hell'' of a butler" in the [[FanSub subtitles]] and the dub. Also "Yes, my lord."** The Yen Press manga translation turns Sebastian's twin phrases into "I am merely a butler" and "I am a ''devil'' of a butler'' respectively.** Also "It is only natural that a servant of Phantomhive would be able to (do whatever impossible thing he just did)." Frequently overlooked because the subtitles translate it differently ''every damn time'', but repeated often enough that Ciel eventually cuts him off when tries to say it.*** Changed even further in the Creator/FUNimation subs for the second season. It's now "A Phantomhive butler who can't (do whatever impossible thing he just did) isn't worth his salt."*** "It is only natural that a servant of Phantomhive would be able to (do X)", appears to be a catchphrase for Ciel's servants as a whole.*** "I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that such minor feats are within my repetoire/that I can handle something like this/etc."*** "If I couldn't do this much at LEAST, well then what kind of butler would I be?"** Ciel seems to yell "Listen when others are talking/to what others are saying!!" Quite often. Usually to Lizzy or Lau.* ChainsawGood: Wielded by [[spoiler:Grelle]]. Yes, in Victorian England.* ChefOfIron* ChekhovsArmoury: Fitting for the category, the Manor Murder Case arc has one that's specifically limited to the mystery of the arc. Full list:** Sebastian’s [[spoiler: corpse]] being wet.** Sebastian not defending Ciel [[spoiler: when the latter is accused of murder.]]** The last thing Ciel says to Sebastian before going to bed.** Ciel suddenly having favorite pillow that was never mentioned before.** The fact that the audience doesn’t get to see or hear what was written on the piece of paper Jeremy handed to Ciel.** The audience seeing every corpse while Jeremy inspects them except for [[spoiler: Sebastian’s.]]** Even Jeremy taking his time going up the stairs.** From a visual standpoint, there are lots of shots of Earl Grey’s eyes.** A lot of Earl Grey's facial expressions, especially when something shocking or dramatic happens, don't quite match up with what one would expect in the current situation.** [[ChekhovsNews The newspaper Ciel is reading at the very beginning of the arc,]] [[BilingualBonus if you're reading in English.]] [[note]]As a manga, it's originally published in Japanese, and not all readers might be able to read the headline of the English newspaper.[[/note]]** Earl Grey asking to play a part in Ciel’s upcoming mission.** The red elixir Irene Diaz has [[spoiler: is actually a RedHerring.]]* ChekhovsBoomerang: Two examples:** First, there’s an early mention that Aleister Chamber is involved with black magic groups, which overlaps with ChekhovsHobby. Later on, he turns out to be part of the Phoenix Society [[spoiler:and tries to use the Bizarre Dolls for his own purposes]]. In the next arc, his connections to the Phoenix Society [[spoiler:allow his nephew, Edgar Redmond, to contact the Undertaker]].** During the School Arc, the elephant that Soma rides into school on also becomes important twice--yet it still manages to be hilarious [[ChekhovsGag every time it shows up]]. First, it gets spooked and destroys Maurice Cole’s room, forcing him to share with Soma and giving Soma the chance to catch him sending notes to his underlings and [[spoiler:get photos of his real face]]. Then, Sebastian uses it to transport water during the fire.* ChekhovsGag: We never see [[spoiler:Undertaker’s eyes]]. It looks like a character quirk, but in both the anime and the manga this is to hide something, although this only has a significant impact on the plot in the manga.** In the second episode/third chapter, Finny picks up a large stone statue and easily tosses it around in an attempt to crush a mouse. It’s played for comedy, as part of the servants goofy antics. Later on in both the anime and the manga, we learn that Finny has super-strength, and [[spoiler: is a formidable opponent in battle.]]** Whenever Bard blows up the kitchen, it’s played for comedic value. Except when there are [[spoiler: two intruders are trapped inside, and we learn that [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Bard's combat specialty is explosives.]]]]** Vice-Principal Agares being clumsy.* ChekhovsGun: The paintings in chapter 71.** A very specific tactic is used in the Murder Mystery arc, of having two people wear another person's clothes in order to mislead animals who track by scent, thus leading the tracker exactly where you want it to go and hiding the actual target. This gets used again, only when running from dogs instead of snakes. [[spoiler: Which explains that fancy and large cloak Ciel wears when going to see Sullivan in chapter 97.]]* ChekhovsGunman: Although he serves a purpose before the reveal, you wouldn’t have guessed [[spoiler: Undertaker]] to be so plot-central. The same applies to Grell before her reveal.** [[spoiler: Snake]] wanders off at the end of the circus arc. He is responsible for [[spoiler: one of the deaths in the Murder Mystery arc]], and eventually becomes a secondary character.** See ChekhovsBoomerang for Aleister Chamber.* ChekhovsHobby: We’re informed that Ciel keeps a hidden gun on him at all times early on in the manga, but since Sebastian does all of the fighting it’s easy for readers to forget this. [[CaptainObvious Eventually, he gets to shoot someone.]]** It gets mentioned in Madame Red’s memories that her sister has asthma. Turns out, Ciel has the same condition.** Again, see ChekhovsBoomerang for Aleister Chamber's referenced connection to black magic societies.* CheshireCatGrin: Ciel, and in some cases, Sebastian.* TheChessmaster: Ciel is definitely the main chess-master, but there are so many others in the series, especially Sebastian, [[spoiler:Madame Red, and Angela/Ash]].* ChessMotifs: Chess imagery is used frequently, especially in the last few episodes.* ChildProdigy: [[spoiler: Elizabeth has TheGift for swordplay, being regarded as a fencing genius by her peers in a flashback. She's kept this from Ciel due to a fear when they were much younger that Ciel wouldn't like her anymore if he knew about her talent.]]** Siegliende could easily read at the age of three. She could also [[spoiler: fully understand complicated chemical formulas for a production of a deadly gas. And somehow unwillingly, make it even more deadly.]]* ChildrenAreAWaste: A prostitute goes to a doctor to get an abortion with this as her reason. [[spoiler:That doctor had lost her ability to have children thanks to an accident that killed her husband and nearly her as well. This was the last straw before she snapped and became UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper.]]* ChinesePeople: Lau, who as of manga chapter 16, doubles as a {{pretty freeloader}}.* CircusOfFear: An entire arc.* CoDragons: The queen's butlers from the manga seem to apply at certain times.* CollectorOfTheStrange: [[WeirdnessMagnet Ciel]] sure hangs around some interesting folks. Let's see, there's the demon BattleButler, a CordonBleughChef who makes [[StuffBlowingUp exploding food]] [[spoiler:and [[GatlingGood gatling guns]]]], a [[{{Meganekko}} far-sighted]] [[spoiler:[[ColdSniper sharp shooting]]]] [[NinjaMaid housemaid]], a [[DoesNotKnowHerOwnStrength bumbling]] [[CuteBruiser gardener with super strength]], a CoolOldGuy [[spoiler: who [[BadassGrandpa seems to know judo]]]], a [[ChinesePeople Chinese man]] who owns an OpiumDen and regularly hangs around [[MinidressOfPower a scantily-clad]] [[LittleMissBadass assassin]], a [[TrademarkFavoriteFood curry-loving]] [[ForeignFanservice Indian prince]], his SupremeChef [[BattleButler manservant]] and his SpoiledSweet GenkiGirl [[ActionGirlfriend fiancée]]. [[AndZoidberg Oh, and the snakeman.]] Don't forget the [[TheBeastmaster snakeman]].* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Weston prefects: Redmond of Scarlet Fox House, Greenhill of Green Lion House, Bluer of Sapphire Owl House, and Violet of Violet Wolf House.** Grell possesses red attire, red hair, red bloodlust, and a passionate red attitude. * CombatStilettos: Manlied up by [[spoiler:Sebastian]]. It's not often you see a grown man murdering people in [[http://i.imgur.com/bAGnV.png these]].* ConspicuouslyLightPatch: If you pay careful attention, you notice Yana Toboso [[InvertedTrope Inverts]] this trope this all the time by shading characters and object at important moments. The only time this gets pointed out in-story is when it’s used to show that Sebastian’s demon-senses are picking up something strange from [[spoiler: Johann Agares.]][[note]]Other examples are more subtle, such as shading the servants when they interact with Sebastian and soon after revealing that they’re all mad at him and trying to hide their emotions, the shading being used to indicate suppressed anger.[[/note]]* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Ciel, of the VillainProtagonist variety. From the anime, Alois may also apply.* CookingDuel: The curry contest in the Indian arc of the manga. Queen Victoria has the final word on it.* CrazyPrepared: Charles Phipps.* CreepyChild: Ciel seems to fit this trope. He's a cynical, jaded, and very driven 12-year-old (or 13, depending on how far you are in the series) who is a Chess Master and [[WiseBeyondTheirYears wise beyond his years]]. He has no qualms about getting involved in dangerous missions and will command his badass butler Sebastian to kill someone without a second thought. Then again, there's a reason why he is the way he is now.** Alois as well. And Luca.* CreepyCrows: Sebastian is shown as either a raven or a crow in the anime's prelude, and is often shown with the black Corvid feathers around him, even in the manga. * CreepyMortician: The Undertaker. Need we say more?* {{Crossdresser}}: Ciel wasn't pleased with this plan.** In the OVA the Undertaker is very enthusiastic about wearing dresses for the Phantomhive production of Hamlet.** Alois also crossdresses in episode 5 of season 2.** Alan and Abberline also wear dresses for a scene in the second musical. Of course, Abberline didn't shave first, so it ends up looking especially creepy.* CrossdressingVoices: You may know Ciel's seiyuu to be that of [[OuranHighSchoolHostClub Haruhi Fujioka]].** Alois may sound a little like [[MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha Fate]] [[Creator/NanaMizuki Testarossa]] when he's putting on his "sweet, innocent child" act.* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler: The Undertaker, an eccentric gray-haired man who trades murder details for jokes and has some...odd turn-ons, is really the most legendary of the Shinigami in the anime.]]** [[spoiler:In the manga, Undertaker is also a badass shinigami, but of a crueler variety.]]** It's easy to forget that Grell started off as a highly incompetent butler to Madam Red who could not do anything right...[[spoiler: before revealing the shinigami and AxCrazy[=/=]ChainsawGood sides hidden beneath the butler act.]]** [[spoiler:Also, the clumsy maid is actually quite the sharpshooter.]]** [[spoiler:All the incompetent household staff, really.]] No ''wonder'' he keeps them around.* CurbStompBattle: In chapter 61 [[spoiler: Undertaker manages to easily do this to Grell, Ronald, and Sebastian without breaking a sweat.]] Wow.* DancesAndBalls: Ciel, being an aristocrat, attends a handful of these. One of the more memorable ones was when he had to [[{{Crossdresser}} crossdress]] while doing it.* DarkAndTroubledPast: A good portion of the entire cast; most notably Ciel, Alois, and the circus crew.** Hinted at with Green Lion House prefect Greenhill, who needed ''two other prefects'' to be with him because there was a chance he'd have to use violence. [[spoiler: It turns out to be second-degree murder, which he regrets, but believes [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption that he had no choice.]]]]* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: Happened to Ciel.* DarkSkinnedBlond: Agni.* DeadpanSnarker: Ciel in the anime.* DealWithTheDevil: While Sebastian has a morbid sense of humor that he only shows to his enemies and Ciel, he has been rather honorable and faithful to even the spirit of his side of the bargain. ** Sieglinde's ancestor trade her legs to the werewolf in exchange of protection to her and her fellow witches, causing to her descendants to be unable to walk. With time, the Green witch's blood has thinned and the village is in fear that it may start attacking them if they go into the woods. [[spoiler: However, it was all a lie told to Siegliende to pressure her into finishing the formula for a stable chemical weapon. And the one who orchestrated everything was Siegliende's ''own mother''.]]* DeathByOriginStory: Ciel's parents.* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Ciel's parents, of course.* DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel: [[spoiler:Elizabeth Midford. She wanted to remain cute in front of Ciel even at the risk of her own life. Only shortly after their conversation about her prioritizing of ladyship before survival does Elizabeth reveal this, as she [[DistressedDude defends Ciel]] no less]].* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Some things may appear rather [[{{Squick}} squicky]] to the reader, but less so when they consider the time period. Back then, it was quite understandable to see even young teens drinking wine or similar. First Cousin Marriages were also quite common back then, especially when it comes to the line of nobles.* {{Determinator}}: Edward Midford. He's an average guy with [[spoiler:less fencing skill than his sister]], and he's studying in a BoardingSchool full of intelligent rich kids. Despite not being especially talented among the rest of the cast, he works hard, and eventually he reaches a level where he is able to [[MegaManning mimic]] another guy's ball throwing technique after seeing it a couple of times.* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: The dinner scene with [[spoiler:Baron Kelvin]]. At first it looks like NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine, but as it goes on, we find out that [[spoiler:Baron Kelvin is pretty much treating it as a date and is being genuinely nice in his own, sick way]].* DisguisedInDrag: They've managed to get Ciel into a dress in the manga, the anime, ''and'' the musical.** In the second musical, this gets taken {{up to eleven}} with at least half the male characters running around an opera "disguised" in dresses. Including Abberline, mustache and all.** Played with in the live-action film. For unwitting viewers, Shiori/Kiyoharu starts the film in a white dress and looking like all the other girls...then rips the wig off and appears to be a boy. Subverted in that Shiori/Kiyoharu is actually a girl. Not as spoileriffic for anyone who did know in advance that Shiori disguised herself as a boy to begin with.* DishDash: Sebastian frequently ends up catching falling dishware, food, and other items due to the clumsiness of Mey-Rin and the other household staff. He never drops anything--by accident, anyway--because he's just that good of a BattleButler.* DissonantSerenity: Sebastian on occasion.* DistractedByTheSexy: Ciel's plan B in the cricket game against the Green House, suggested by Sebastian: bringing Lau to the game alongside [[MsFanservice Ran Mao]] and [[FanserviceExtra a bunch of other girls in short Qipaos]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/kuroshitsuji/v13/c078/15.html distracted the Green House's boys]] (the Blue House boys didn't notice because of their bad eyesight). It works out for a while until they (Lau and the girls) are expelled from the field.* DistressedDamsel: Elizabeth. [[spoiler:Subverted in chapter 57]].* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The infamous corset scene. Which has popped up in pretty much every version! The manga, the anime, and the (second) ''musical'', of all places.** Chapter 9 has [[http://www.mangareader.net/102-2018-7/kuroshitsuji/chapter-9.html this gem]] of a page to flip to. Without context, it looks quite like any given porn page, although it's nothing more than [[spoiler:Ciel vomiting after seeing Jack The Ripper's latest victim]].** Chapter 34 pulled a bit of this too. Instead of being sexy, the scene is outright disturbing, because the fanservice occurs while one of the characters involved is having a complete mental breakdown and ends with [[spoiler:the massacre of god knows how many innocent children]].** In Chapter 71, when Maurice Cole was finally caught by Ciel for telling him the wrong time to meet with the prefects, he had a group of male students hold down Ciel and take off his shoe, unbutton his clothes, and cover his mouth to prevent him from screaming with the line, "Let's take some pictures, the kind that will make you die in shame!" One wonders what exactly they were planning on doing...** Chapter 72: The brother-bonding ceremony looks a hell of a lot like a wedding at first glance, plus all the innuendoes about fag-brother bonds and Maurice's apparent attraction to Redmond.** In chapter 73, Sebastian [[NotWhatItLooksLike pushes Ciel up against a bookcase, when they're alone, in the school library, in the middle of the night]].--->'''Sebastian:''' I'm sorry for being rough.** Chapter 76: [[spoiler:All of the Scarlet Fox's cricket players suffer diarrhea caused by a meat pie filled with laxatives, courtesy of Ciel and Sebastian]]. Everyone retires, but Harcourt is left behind and his expressions of pain are...well...reminiscent of something else involving that orifice.** Anime example: Almost all of the dialogue in season 2 about Ciel's soul comes across as sounding sexual. There's one scene where Aloise threatens to tear Ciel's soul apart and feed pieces of it to his entire staff, and it comes across as something much worse. It doesn't help that Aloise is sitting on Ciel's chest while making the threat.** Chapter 97: The villagers, ecstatic that Siegliende has finally completed [[spoiler:the formula for a new chemical weapon]], decide to name it [[spoiler:"Sullin"]].* {{Dojikko}}: The vice-principal of the boarding school Ciel goes to is [[RunningGag very prone of falling down the stairs]].** [[spoiler:This becomes a bit of a FunnyAneurysmMoment when it is revealed that the vice-principal was one of the Undertaker's [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Bizarre Dolls]], and his poor coordination as well as his [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction mild reactions to injuries]] are because he was DeadAllAlong]].** And Meyline. ESPECIALLY when Sebastian is around.* {{Doppelganger}}: Sebastian bears a striking resemblance to [[spoiler:Ciel's father]]. Coincidence?** In the anime's second season, Claude looks a lot like Sebastian, too.* DoubleEntendre: So many. Especially in the second season. ''Especially'' when Claude is having a conversation or talking to himself about Ciel.* TheDreaded: Marchioness Frances Phantomhive-Middleford (played semi-seriously, semi-comically). The woman even the resident demon would prefer ''not'' to spend time with, let alone her darling nephew. Both live in a fair degree of fear of her dropping 'round. On the face of it, it is easy to dismiss her as an over-the-top portrayal as one half of a (potential) ObnoxiousInLaws couple for humor. However...we ''are'' talking about the woman who can successfully sneak up on ''Sebastian'' without him realizing it until it's too late and who manages to loom over him to the point of making him break out in sweat drops. That's quite a feat for a mere human. There's also the suggestion that she might well be intelligent enough to work out who he is, given enough proof. And she's unlikely to be pleased.* DudeLooksLikeALady:** Ciel, apparently, as Joker had to ask if Ciel was a boy.** Grell, in either form. Justified in that Grell does this on purpose because of her {{Transsexual}} status.** Maurice Cole from Scarlet Fox dormitory of Weston College is so pretty it's very easy to assume he's actually a cross-dressing girl in a suit.*** Same with Joanne Harcourt.* DynamicEntry: ''Ronald'' pulls this off in 53. BoomHeadshot.* DysfunctionJunction* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the beginning of the manga, there are televisions, cell phones, and video games.* ElegantGothicLolita: The show has renewed an interest in this style in Japan and there's a line of clothing directly based on what the characters wear.* [[HairDecorations Every Boy Is Cuter With Hair Decs]]: Finnian the gardener.* EngineeredPublicConfession: [[spoiler:Cole's]] to the entire academy--and, most importantly, his prefect--thanks to a very elaborate version of the TinCanTelephone.* EvilVersusEvil* EvilWearsBlack: Sebastian wears all black leather while in his true form and a black tailcoat suit in his human form. He is rarely seen in any other color.* EyepatchOfPower: Ciel's eyepatch hides the pentagram that represents his contract with Sebastian.* EyesAlwaysShut: Lau sports a variation of this. His closed eyes are not upturned in a foxlike manner; rather, they're more U-shaped, giving him an air of calm.* EyeScream: In the second season of the anime, [[spoiler:Alois stabs one of his maidservants in the eye. ''With his finger''. Why? "A maid should never look directly at her master!" The other servants understandably have an OhCrap moment, but are then commanded to clean up the bloody mess]]. It's revealed later that [[spoiler:Hannah the maid is ''a demon''. We see in a later flashback of somewhere around that time Alois saying how he's sick of demons and of people looking at him like that]].** Ciel getting the seal in his eye seemed to have been very painful. Blood is seen dripping from it afterwards. * FallenHero: Subverted. Ciel was never really a hero ''per se'', but he did use to be just a normal little kid; then his parents were killed, [[spoiler:his house was burnt down, he was kidnapped and tortured by a cult]], and he became a [[VillainProtagonist villain]].* {{Fanservice}}: So, so much.* FateWorseThanDeath: At the end of season 2 of the anime, [[spoiler:Ciel becomes a demon. The problem with this is that Sebastian is bound to Ciel until he devours his soul, but demons cannot consume each others' souls. Sebastian, for the first time, does not seem enthused with the prospect of serving Ciel "until the very end"]].* FoodPorn: Oh yes. Sebastian regularly whips up some delicious confection for [[SweetTooth Ciel]], along with a little banner describing it, although they're becoming more and more scarce in the latest arcs of the manga. [[http://www.mangareader.net/kuroshitsuji/62/28 This]] pretty much sums up how good Sebastian's cooking is, though.* ForeignLookingFont: Just look at the title in the page image.* {{Foreshadowing}}: In chapter 5 of the manga, Finny is throwing statues at mice that have attacked the mansion. Then cut to chapter 32 [[spoiler:and we see him throwing statues at Beast and Joker exclaiming "Found the Mice!"]]** In Chapter 54, we're given cover art of the Undertaker dancing with a skeleton. Cue chapter 60: [[spoiler:Undertaker dancing with one of the zombies in the exact same pose, making a speech about the beauty of his creations]].* ForkFencing: Sebastian carries around a few forks and knives wherever he goes. He's pretty damn effective with them too. Killed an entire room of men with a handful of thrown dinner knives.* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four houses at the private school:** Sanguine: Scarlet Fox, the high-born house.** Choleric: Green Lion, the "sporty" house. "Green Lion" is also an alchemical symbol for chloride and chlorophyll.** Melancholic: Purple Wolf, the creepy artistic house.** Phlegmatic: Sapphire Owl, the brainy house.* FrameUp: In the "Wordsmith" whodunnit arc, Ciel and Sebastian frame a [[spoiler:blood diamond/arms smuggler]] for the death of [[spoiler:a German ship builder who would've made his country's navy more powerful than it should've been at the time. Sebastian's death was just a "joke" by Victoria, who didn't like Ciel's "prank" of [[KillItWithFire completely burning]] the last BigBad and his unsuspecting henchmen and victims]].* FromBadToWorse: And the ending theme illustrates it, from SuperDeformed Sebastian performing chores, to normal Sebastian rowing a prone Ciel in a bed of white roses on a boat on the river Styx.** There's also when Ciel's [[spoiler:parents had been killed. Afterward, his house was burnt down, and he was sold to a religious cult who tried to use him as a sacrifice until Ciel accidentally summoned Sebastian, and then chose to give up his soul in return for Sebastian's help at getting revenge]].* FunnyForeigner: Indian prince Soma, and his [[{{BattleButler}} ass-whooping manservant]] Agni.* GenderBender: [[spoiler: Very deliberately and very frequently with Angela]].* GeniusBruiser: Sebastian.* GentlemanSnarker: Sebastian.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The series' penchant for double entendres, especially in the second series.** A particularly standout example is the joke Madame Red tells the Undertaker in Episode 4 of Season 1: "So Alice's beau gave her the most extraordinary (gunshot) for her birthday. It was white and so (double gunshot) with thick veins running down the sh(gunshot)..."** There's also a ''very'' suggestive scene in the anime where we see Ciel bent over while apparently naked, sweaty, and shouting Sebastian's name. Then the camera zooms out...and we see that Sebastian is actually tightening a corset on Ciel.* GirlishPigtails: Elizabeth.* GivingRadioToTheRomans: The Green Witch Arc takes place around 1888 & features technology that shouldn't exist for another 30-78 years, such as computers & WWI tanks.* TheGlomp: Four person flying-tackle variety at the end of the Murder Arc, when Sebastian reveals to the rest of mansion [[spoiler: that he is [[UnexplainedRecovery not dead]]]].** Elizabeth, during her first appearance in the anime, pulls this completely straight.* GradeSchoolCEO: Ciel, 12-year-old head of a massive toy and candy company.* GratuitousEnglish: Sebastian's "Yes, my lord," and Claude's "Yes, your highness".** Also present in some of the background music. The phrase "excuse me for interrupting" is heard in the first episode when Sebastian [[spoiler: opens the viewer to the oven]].* GrayEyes: Charles Grey.* [[spoiler:GodSaveUsFromTheQueen]]: [[spoiler:In the manga, Queen Victoria starts to considere how nice it would be to have zombies at her service after hearing the truth about the events in Weston High.]]* HappinessInSlavery: Agni towards Soma.** Ciel's household staff seem to be pretty happy living with him, even though they aren't good at their designated job. * [[spoiler:HairColorSpoiler: Ash]] [[spoiler: Ash has purple eyes and white hair. Who else has white hair and purple eyes? Angela. Angela is an angel. Therefore, when TheReveal happened, it wasn't much of a surprise.]]* HellishPupils: Sebastian, occasionally.* HeroicBSOD: While Ciel's intentions for the circus children back at the workhouse might not be described as "heroic" so much as "self-serving with a side of philanthropy", Ciel's reaction in chapter 36 upon realizing that [[spoiler: the entire workhouse was empty and abandoned, and had been for what looked like years, meaning the circus children had fought--and died--in vain]] can be aptly described as a BSOD. A very, ''very'' frightening one.** Ciel has one in [[spoiler:chapter 41, after finding Sebastian's body. It was an act, but he did seem genuinely pleased about being able to smack Sebastian around a little]].** Ciel has another one earlier in chapter 34, [[spoiler:when Baron Kelvin made an exact replica of where he was held when imprisoned, complete with an altar for sacrificing and even two cages full of children. This leads him to burn down the entire building... including the children (who were well past BSOD themselves, showing ''no reaction'' to the fire)]].** Ciel gets another in chapter 54, complete with flashbacks like the ones he had in chapter 34.** And another one in the Werewolf Arc. [[spoiler: It wasn't due to a "curse" as it was previously assumed, but the inhalation of a toxic gas. And Sebastian accidentally made it even worse...]]* HistoricalInJoke: In the manga, Queen Victoria has the occasional fit of tears that can be only alleviated by a servant (John Brown) with a Prince Albert puppet.* HollywoodAtheist: Ciel.* HorrorHunger: Maggy in chapter 52.* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Ciel causes quite the scene when Sebastian is [[spoiler: found dead in chapter 41. Ciel manhandles Sebastian's body while commanding him to get up and cursing him for leaving him behind.]] It's all subverted later on when [[spoiler: we find out Sebastian was just [[DeathIsCheap playing dead]] again and Ciel knew all along.]]* HumanSacrifice: Ciel was used for this, but ended up making a deal with Sebastian instead.* HypocriticalHumor: ''[[ManipulativeBastard Ciel]]'' chastises [[spoiler: Cole]] for keeping secrets, lying, cheating, and manipulating others to do his work while flashbacks show Sebastian doing all the work of [[spoiler: picking through the school's trash for Cole's notes to his underlings and taping the fragments together, not to mention setting up an elaborate tin-can-telephone and scattering hundreds of photos of Cole's makeup routine all over school]].* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: "The/That Butler, ______."** Changed in the second season to just "_______ Butler".* IgnoranceIsBliss: Ciel tells Snake that his missing friends' whereabouts were unknown, that he is looking for them and that staying with Ciel will be the fastest way to see them again. [[spoiler:The reader knows that they were all killed by Ciel's staff when they tried to ambush Ciel's mansion]].** Poor, poor Siegliende. [[spoiler:If only she didn't learn her whole life was basically an enormous lie--her secluded village is actually a military area, the villages are all soldiers in really convincing werewolf costumes, and she isn't the descendant of the powerful "Green Witch", she's an ordinary girl with enormous talent for chemistry which was used to finish the previously-failed military project of making a stable mustard gas]].* ImmuneToBullets: Sebastian can just spit them out.* ImportantHaircut: Soma gives one of these to Agni in the flashback in chapter 17.** Madam Red had one, too.* ImprobableAge: Ciel, considering his ownership of the Phantomhive company and service to the Queen.* InNameOnly: The anime diverged from the manga at episode 7, making it essentially a completely different series. Besides just the setting and characters, there are many major plot points, such as the terms of the contract between Ciel and Sebastian, that are also changed.** The characters are markedly different in personality between the two mediums. In the manga, Sebastian has a much wider range of emotions while he's always "cool" and rarely stressed in the anime. Ciel is darker, Soma is more childish. Grell is more competent, violent, serious, and less romantic in the manga. In the anime, Elizabeth has no dark side. Finally, the anime has far more ecchi humor and significantly larger bustlines than in the manga.* InnocentInnuendo: The corset scene.* IOweYouMyLife: Ciel towards Sebastian in a ''very'' literal sense.** Subverted in the anime, when [[spoiler:Ciel becomes a demon and makes Sebastian serve him for eternity]].** The servant trio towards Ciel and Sebastian.** Agni towards Soma.* UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper: The villain of one of the early arcs.* JadeColoredGlasses: Ciel.* TheJeeves: Just as supernaturally competent, but whereas he was "heaven sent", Sebastian is "one hell of a butler".** There's an interesting parallel in the respite chapter 37, when Sebastian has [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster particularly strong views on a red tie]].* JigsawPuzzlePlot * KidWithTheLeash: Ciel's relationship towards Sebastian. While largely true to the trope, it lacks the usual element of contrast in that, with a few exceptions, Ciel is just as amoral and ruthless as his servant.* KillTheCutie: All of the [[spoiler:main circus crew (except for Snake) and the kidnapped children from the circus arc]], and [[spoiler:Phelps]] from the murder mystery arc. Also [[spoiler:Alois]].* KissingCousins: Ciel is [[ArrangedMarriage engaged]] to Elizabeth, who is his cousin. This was rather common in the Victorian Era.* KnifeNut (and Fork Nut): Sebastian throws the Phantomhive household's silver cutlery around with abnormal speed and precision.** Claude uses the Trancy's gold silverware as weapons as well.* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:Angela]].* KudzuPlot* LadyAndKnight: Ciel and Sebastian's relationship can be read as as a same-sex platonic variation of a Dark Lord and Black Knight. If nothing else, Sebastian sometimes bows to Ciel the same way a knight would bow to his lady (in the anime, he once does it while singing the words "My Fair Lady").** Wolfram and Sieglinde also appear to have a platonic/parental version of this trope, overlapping with BattleButler. [[spoiler: But if Siegliende will ever learn she was manipulated all this time and try to escape the forest, Wolfram must immediately kill her.]] * LadyInRed: Madame Red.* LadyOfWar:** [[spoiler: Elizabeth Midford. ''"Wife of the Queen's watchdog"'' indeed]].** Frances Midford as well.* LargeHam: The Viscount, good god.* LecherousLicking: In episode 5 of season 2, a disguised Alois licks Ciel's ear.* LittleMissBadass: [[spoiler:Elizabeth]].* [[LittleMissSnarker Little Mister Snarker]]: Ciel.* LittleProfessorDialog: Ciel.* LockedRoomMystery: The Murder Mystery arc. It's even referenced by name, [[LampshadedTrope as part of a conversation that discusses how the circumstances are similar to plots commonly found in murder mystery novels.]]* TheLostWoods: The "Werewolf's forest" in Germany. [[spoiler: Actually a military area]].* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Under any other circumstances, Ciel would not go anywhere near the big, creepy castle without Sebastian. Unless, of course, Elizabeth has gone missing and he has every belief that she is in there and in trouble. Then he'll do anything. Including giving Grell pretty much permission to rape Sebastian in exchange for backup. Not crazy enough for you? How about [[spoiler: after he realizes all the girls in the castle are living dolls, he ditches Grell in order to run deeper? And ''still'' keeps looking for Elizabeth after being told he was next to be turned into a doll?]]** In the manga, Ciel throws himself in front of a bear without a second thought to protect Elizabeth. This act also shows Elizabeth's mother, Frances Midford, that Ciel is more worthy of being her daughter's future husband than she had originally given him credit for. Still, that could be considered more heroic than crazy, since Ciel knows that if he is in danger of getting hurt, Sebastian can easily save him. * LuckyTranslation: See above under {{Catchphrase}}.* MadnessMantra: [[spoiler:"Snuff out the unclean, snuff out the useless, snuff out the barren."]]* TheMasquerade: Subverted in that [[spoiler:Ciel and Sebastian reveal ''everything''--including the fact that both they and Earl Grey work for the Queen, they framed another man for Siemen's murder, and that Sebastian is a demon--to Wordsmith and let him live, memory intact, since the mere thought of their power was enough to stop him from revealing the truth even after he became a [[Creator/ArthurConanDoyle famous writer]] of [[Literature/SherlockHolmes mysteries]], just because Ciel liked his writing style]].** Played straight with the [[spoiler:"werewolf village". There have been no werewolves at all, just soldiers in werewolf costumes, working on a military project concerning the new formula for a chemical weapon]].* MeaningfulName: "Phantomhive". Explicitly pointed out by the plot.** Dr. Stoker and the Karnstein Hospital. ** Possibly on a [[ViewersAreGeniuses Readers are Geniuses]] level--yes, Sebastian, it is mentioned in the manga, was named after Ciel's pet dog, but here's the ''other'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastien_Michaelis Sebastian Michaelis]], except his name is spelled "Sébastien Michaëlis". He was a French inquisitor who created a [[GeniusBonus classification of demons]]. Considering that he lived during the early 17th century, this may even be a {{Canon}} StealthPun.* MegaTwintails: Elizabeth.* MexicanStandoff: Between [[spoiler:[[http://www.manga2u.com/Kuroshitsuji/31/20-21/ Ciel, Joker, Sebastian and Baron Kelvin]]]].* MoralityPet: Sebastian has his cat friends (and, possibly, Ciel himself, depending on character interpretation--whether he genuinely cares about Ciel or if he wants nothing more than to eat his soul), Ciel has his household staff and Elizabeth.* MsFanservice:** Hannah, in the second season, appears half-naked in several occasions, with ClothingDamage to the point of improbability. Due the female fanbase, and possibly her role as a servile abuse victim, considered to be by many people FanDisservice.** Ran Mao from the manga and the first season of the anime is also an example, bearing cat ear-like {{Odango}}, showing off a lot of leg, being extremely flexible, and generally being very touchy-feely.** Beast from the Circus Arc of the manga is another good example.** Mey Rin has her moments too. When not being really silly, that is.* MultipleDemographicAppeal: Boy howdy. It has a number of {{Seinen}} themes (villain protagonists, child abuse, violence and gore, etc.), an art style not unlike that of a {{Shoujo|Demographic}} series and a ''lot'' of subtext, but it's published in a {{Shonen|Demographic}} magazine--though the themes of a DealWithTheDevil, as well as the style of action, are not foreign to the {{Shonen|Demographic}} genre.* MundaneMadeAwesome: Curry, candy, getting fitted for outfits, Easter, egg hunts...* MySisterIsOffLimits: Edward seems to feel this way about Ciel and Lizzie's relationship.** Dagger towards Beast. * MysteryArc: Specifically, the Mansion Murder Mystery arc, although the entire series could be considered one of these.* MythologyGag: Chapter 39 is pretty much a running one, mix and stir ShoutOut:** [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Arthur]] does not think that ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'' will be very popular, and doubts he'll write the character again.** Sebastian is so full of grace that [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray he could appear in an Oscar Wilde novel]].** RealLife people such as Patrick Phelps and IdolSinger Irene Diaz are among the guests, counting as a GeniusBonus, but the Myth Gag happens to be Irene and her producer dancing together.* NiceGuy: Arthur Conan Doyle. Finny, too.* NiceToTheWaiter: While Ciel's house staff are usually more trouble than they're worth, he always treats them kindly (or as kind as Ciel can be). Lampshaded several times by the staff themselves. Alois Trancy, on the other hand...not so much.* NoBadassToHisValet: Sebastian towards Ciel and vice-versa.** In the anime's second season, Claude towards Alois.* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: At least two historical variants, with both [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Arthur Conan Doyle]] and the ''UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic'' being featured without being fully named. The latter even has a shout-out to the film ''Film/{{Titanic}}''.* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: [[spoiler:What Elizabeth believes of Ciel and the reason she hid her [[LittleMissBadass badass]] side all along.]]** [[spoiler:She's also very self-conscious about the fact that she's taller than Ciel, having noticed Ciel's efforts to be seen as grown-up despite his young age. This has resulted in Lizzy behaving more childishly than she actually feels, much for the same reason she didn't let Ciel know she's a brilliant swordswoman.]]* NoHeroToHisValet: Sebastian towards Ciel, as he actually knows the full details in that Ciel will do anything for the queen, as well as Ciel's goal of revenge, along with his [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior willingness to kill innocent people if he deems it necessary]]. Most people who don't know him personally treat Ciel as either a "hero" or someone to look up to because of how successful he is as a 13-year-old who runs a well-known company. There are some others besides Sebastian that know he is "the queen's dog", though they do not seem to know all of the details.* NonchalantDodge: Sebastian makes plenty of these, as well as some of the other supernatural characters.* NonHumanSidekick: Sebastian and Claude.* NowYouTellMe: Just after Ciel monologues to himself how vital first impressions are at Weston College, he steps on the grass. Instant silence occurs and everyone around him whispers how he just made a huge faux-pas as nobody but [[TheElite the prefects]] are given permission to step on the grass.* ObfuscatingStupidity: In the anime, [[spoiler: Lau. No really, he'll stop faking it in episode 20]]. Strongly hinted in the manga as well.* ObnoxiousInLaws: In the manga, Lizzie's brother Edward ''really'' doesn't like Ciel taking his sister's attention away from him.* ObviouslyEvil: Episode 2 is a great example. Who could be the bad guy? Ciel? Madame Red? The two dignified looking British guys? Or the Italian with the facial scars, who dresses like [[Film/{{Scarface 1983}} Tony Montana?]]* OfCorsetsSexy: The corset scene, combined with InnocentInnuendo. Later on, Beast wears some sexy outfits for the circus performances.* OffHandBackhand: Sebastian gives an awesome one to [[spoiler: one of the Zombies]] in [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/kuroshitsuji/v09/c056/24.html chapter 56]].* OffModel: For some strange reason, the normally {{Chibi}} Tanaka seemed to go through a temporary growth spurt (as in, stomach-length of Sebastian) near the end of Season 1, episode 15.** Elizabeth gets some of this, too, in chapter 58.* OneWingedAngel: Sebastian so far has shown this thrice, and every time it's obscured. * OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: The werewolf arc. [[spoiler: They protect and imprison a witch village in the middle of the woods. Instead of turning people into werewolves, their curse causes victims to [[BodyHorror swell up and die]] even if they aren't actually bitten.]] [[spoiler: Cruelly subverted in chapter 97 : the werewolves are just villagers in really good costumes and using a bio-weapon which gives the effect of the "curse"]].* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: The whole first tier circus crew had been abandoned by their parents due to their various disabilities]].** [[spoiler: Siegliende's mother made her believe that she is a descendant of a powerful witch and left her to live with servants only, just so the girl would focus on the project of making the stable chemical weapon, the project which earlier took the life of her father.]]* ParentsForADay: In the Witch Forest Arc, Finny suddenly has to take care of [[spoiler: a traumatized and severely poisoned Ciel.]] Even Sebastian can't help. Surprisingly enough, he does quite well.* PerkyGoth: Is there nothing in the series that DOESN'T fit this aesthetic style? ** [[DeadpanSnarker Ciel]] [[TroubledButCute Phantomhive]] [[HollywoodAtheist himself]].* PetTheDog: Sebastian will kill without mercy and betrays very little emotion, but he adores and has a huge soft spot for cats. [[spoiler:In fact, he keeps a closet full of kitties hidden from Ciel (who is allergic), but they (the cats) seem pretty happy]]. Also it's not a case of CatsAreMean, but a case of cats-are-too-nice-not-to-love-even-for-a-demon.** [[spoiler:Ciel lets Snake become one of his staff as a way of making up for killing his ''nakama'', not that Snake knows this--he thinks he's only staying until they locate the rest of the circus troupe]].* PillowPistol: Ciel almost shoots Sebastian with one of these in chapter 14. * PimpedOutDress: Lots.* PlaygroundSong: During an arc in the anime, Drocell, the puppet-working-for-a-serial-killer, keeps playing and singing "London Bridge is Falling Down". His prey is young, beautiful girls that he turns into living dolls; the song is used to control said dolls and determine what materials to construct them from. Despite being male, he's kind enough to make an exception for Ciel. ** The anime seems to love the song "London Bridge is Falling Down". The tune shows up all over the place. *** This may have something to do with the fact that in Victorian England, "London Bridge Is Falling Down" was one of the most popular playground songs.** Also, the Noah's Ark Circus arc of the manga has Joker singing "Tom, the Piper's Son" as he makes his way to his "father"'s office. In fact, most of that family references the song.* PleaseWakeUp: Ciel when [[spoiler:Sebastian died and he kept repeating things like "sleeping on the floor doesn't look that comfortable to me" and "get up". Subverted]] because it ended up being [[spoiler:a fake death, which Ciel was aware of the entire time]].** Alois to [[spoiler:Luca]] in season 2.* PottyEmergency: Joanne, Redmond's fag had...ahem...quite the troubles to leave the cricket field after [[spoiler:eating meat pie filled with super-strong laxatives]].** Later on, he wet his pants [[spoiler:while escaping the zombies at the midnight tea party]].* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Those wonderful prosthetic limbs that the Noah's Ark Circus kids have? Made from [[spoiler:the bones of children murdered by Baron Kelvin and the doctor]].* PrecociousCrush: When Madame Red was around Ciel's age, she fell in love with a slightly older man. [[spoiler:That man was Lord Phantomhive...who would marry Madame's older sister and become Ciel's father]].* {{Protectorate}}: Ciel's bumbling normal servants. A chef, apparently imported from America, who likes using heavy artillery on food, a {{dojikko}} maid, a napping steward, and a gardener who mixes up "weed killer" and "fertilizer". It takes all of the powers of Hell for Sebastian to prevent them from blowing the mansion up on a daily basis. Also, Elizabeth.** [[spoiler:Only bumbling when it comes to the servant part. As one of the manga chapters demonstrated, they weren't hired for their ability to take care of the house under normal circumstances. But during an attack...]]** [[spoiler:Elizabeth is actually quite capable of taking care of herself. She just [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon didn't want Ciel to see that side of her]]]].** ...And, ironically, if [[spoiler:Finny's]] speech in chapter 91 is any indication, [[spoiler:Ciel]] is this to [[spoiler:his servants]].* PsychoticSmirk: Not a BigBad (though quite the VillainProtagonist), but Sebastian does this a ''lot''. And [[spoiler:Lau]] nearly every time he [[spoiler:opens his eyes]], though Arthur seems to be the only one to notice this.** In season 2 episode 10, [[spoiler:[[FanNickname Cielois]]]] gives off a rather disturbing smirk when climbing up the giant thorny clock tower thing. ** Ciel gives off a slight psychotic smirk in chapter 49 the manga after he [[spoiler:slaps Sebastian as part of the act used to trick everyone into thinking Sebastian was dead]].* PunnyName** [[spoiler:Angela. The angel]]. Wow. Really should have seen that coming.** Also, [[spoiler:Ash. The angel with the plot to ''burn down London'']]. ''Really'' should have seen that coming.** [[spoiler: Sullin, the new chemical weapon developed (somehow unwittingly) by Siegliende.]]* PurelyAestheticEra: Despite all the painstaking historical research, the creators sometimes just throw accuracy to the wind. Mobile phone? Check. Modern motorized chainsaw? Check. To be fair, the modern motorized chainsaw ''is'' a supernatural weapon wielded by a death god who may or may not be constrained to series-current technology.* RavenHairIvorySkin: Sebastian features this stunning contrast, and that's part of the reason why he has so many admirers.* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sebastian gives one to Soma, telling him how none of his servants were ever "his" to begin with and were given to him by his social status and how none of them were with him because they wanted to. [[spoiler: Agni being the exception, since he really does care for Soma, but was forced to "betray" him during the curry arc.]]* RedEyesTakeWarning: Sebastian, with added HellishPupils when required.* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: Campania arc* RoyalBrat: Ciel and Alois apply, though they are both partially subverted as they actually do know what life is like for those less fortunate than them, due to their [[DarkAndTroubledPast Dark And Troubled Pasts]].* RunningGag: Sebastian and his obsession with cats. And then, Ciel's (both hateful and allergic) reactions to said cats.** Every volume of the manga has a different "alternate take" on the series on the inside front cover (''Black Racer'', ''Black Chef'', ''Black Ninja''...), with a brief synopsis of what that might be like on the inside back cover. Said synopsis always contains the words "(or not)" somewhere, ends with "...or something", and there's a sketch of Sebastian having trouble with the premise in the corner (except for Volume 10's "Black Esper", where he actually ''likes'' it).* SarcasticDevotee: Sebastian.* SanitySlippage: Hinted to be the case with Ciel in the manga. His RoaringRampageOfRevenge [[TraumaCongaLine hasn't been kind]]--losing his aunt, witnessing countless gruesome sights and, of course, [[TearJerker that whole business with]] the [[MoralEventHorizon Noah's Ark Circus]]. ** [[spoiler:This process is also "spicing" Ciel's soul for Sebastian in anticipation of their contract's completion...]]* ScaryShinyGlasses: Grell, of all people, pulls this one off in the newest OVA.** Bluer gets these a couple of times in the manga, most notably when [[spoiler:he makes an astounding bowl against Greenhill in the cricket match]], and later when [[spoiler:he and the other prefects confess to murdering Derrick Arden to protect the integrity of their school when they discovered that he was bulling other students and using their talents to make himself appear perfect--and the vice principal was not only aware, but ''allowing'' it]].* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Ciel is the queen's watchdog, basically allowing him to kill almost anyone.* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers: Sebastian is a demon, and will kill anyone Ciel tells him to, or anyone who tries to hurt either of them, in most cases. Justified, because he's a ''demon''.* ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful: How [[spoiler: Cole]] justifies being a cheating manipulative jerk. [[spoiler: Turns out he's as good with makeup as he is at manipulating his classmates.]]* ScoobyDooHoax: [[spoiler: Siegliende's whole life. There are no werewolves in the forest, no werewolf curse and no "ultimate magic formula". There are however soldiers in werewolf costumes, effects of the poisonous gas use and the formula for making a biological weapon. Every one of the village residents (even Wolfram) is a soldier, taking part in a top-secret military project which is led by Siegliende's mother. Basically everything Siegliende has been taught is a part of the project, named "Green witch project".]]* SecurityBlanket: There is a specific pillow that Ciel cannot sleep without. [[spoiler: Subverted, as it is later revealed to just be for Sebastian to hide the blood on his chest]].* SerialKiller: [[spoiler: Grell and Madame Red]].* SeriousBusiness: Curry-cooking contests. School cricket tournaments.* ServileSnarker: Sebastian.* SatelliteLoveInterest: Elizabeth. [[spoiler:Subverted]] in chapter 57, where it's shown that [[spoiler: it's ''because'' Ciel exists that Elizabeth suppressed her [[BadassAdorable personality]] into a cookie-cutter DamselInDistress]].* ShesGotLegs: [[MsFanservice Ranmao]], highlighted by the fact the she dresses exclusively in VERY short Qipaos.** Really, this applies to [[FanserviceExtra ANY of the girls seen with Lau]] Ranmao is just the only one who is ALWAYS with him.* {{Shinigami}}: Interestingly, most are of the Psychopomp variety, but evil ones kill for pleasure. There's even a CelestialBureaucracy of them.* {{Shotacon}}: [[spoiler:Baron Kelvin]] is revealed to have fallen in love and become a StalkerWithACrush towards Ciel when Ciel was ''seven''. Not to mention how he [[spoiler: kidnapped all those children for his amusement]]...** Also, Nina Hopkins. She is the one behind the designs and clothes Ciel always wears and has said that she only has interest in '''[[LesYay girls]]'''... and boys under 15. ** The most famous example has to be all the interest Ciel gets not just from Sebastian, but various other adult men.** It bears mentioning that the manga and anime themselves features a few too many loving pans of Ciel's prepubescent body for the comfort of some viewers,** In the second series of the anime, the former Earl [[spoiler:Trancy]] abducted young boys, [[spoiler:(including Alois)]], as sex slaves.* ShoutOut: Episode 7 has a few nods to the Literature/SherlockHolmes novel ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles''.** Father Jeremy Rathbone who shows up in chapter 45. Shares the first name of Jeremy Brett, who played the detective in the Granada TV series (as well being an almost dead--no pun intended--ringer for said actor), and the surname of Basil Rathbone, another Holmes actor from the 1940s. And then he proceeds to pull the deduction technique on Arthur, who mentions the father resembling Professor Bell, whom the real Sir Arthur based Holmes off of.** [[spoiler:Phelps]]'s killer in Chapter 47 is a reference to another Sherlock Holmes story, ''The Speckled Band''.** In the manga, Sebastian sends a secret note via [[Literature/HarryPotter snowy owl]].** According to one of the early manga chapters, apparently the pets in Hell are [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorphs]].** [[spoiler:Grelle Sutcliffe]] seems to be named after another English serial killer, [[spoiler:[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper]]]].** Sebastian's line to Claude [[spoiler:as he's hanging on to the trap door in Cielois's maze]] "We meet again, Claude" is the polite, as one would expect of a butler, form of "We meet again, Cloud" uttered by Sephiroth in AdventChildren. Even better as Claude and Cloud share a VA. Square-Enix self-shout.** The dress that Ciel uses at the opening image of chapter 8 is exactly the same that Katrina uses in the last scenes of ''Film/SleepyHollow''.** Chapter 52 has Dr. [[{{Dracula}} Stoker]], his subject [[Series/DarkShadows Maggy]] whose body was [[FrankensteinsMonster covered in stitches]], and after being knifed by Sebastian she bends into a [[Film/TheExorcist backwards crabwalk]]. The whole thing takes place on [[{{Titanic}} a big ship from the White Star Line]].** The anime has the famous painting ''The Isle of the Dead'', by Arnold Böcklin.** The story after the totally-not-''Titanic'' arc takes place [[Franchise/HarryPotter in an exclusive academy that has four houses with a color/animal/personality theme]]: Red Fox/highborn; Sapphire Owl/academic; Purple Wolf/artistic; Green Lion/athletic.** The curry competition in episode 15 of the anime begins with the Emcee shouting "[[IronChef Allez cuisine!]]"* ShownTheirWork: There are a lot of accurate references to areas in London as well as references to things like Fortnum and Mason.** To the point that some rather obscure things are brought up that seem, at a glance, to be examples of PurelyAestheticEra, but when you dig a little further, [[OlderThanTheyThink turn out to fit fairly well into that time period]].*** Madame Red's profession? The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874. It's quite likely that Madame Red graduated from it.*** Plastic surgery? [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_surgery It can be traced back to Ancient Egypt.]]*** Ronald's lawn mower scythe? Besides the theory that shinigami are otherworldly and thus a walking AnachronismStew, [[OlderThanYouThink the first lawnmower was invented in 1830,]] and [[http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bllawns.htm the design sounds similar to Ronald's.]]** Not only London, [[http://www.mangatoshokan.com/read/Kuroshitsuji/STFU-Scans/33/37 the flour explosion that Bard references in Chapter 33]]? [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washburn_A_Mill Happened in Minneapolis in 1878]].** And the idea of mobile phones? [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophone The first wireless phone call was made in 1880]]. Obviously not with the compact technology shown, but it is slightly more probable than might think.** The four houses at the private school Ciel's infiltrating battle for supremacy with an epic {{cricket}} match, which the author gives [[CricketRules very detailed instructions on]].** The ''Ciel in Wonderland'' OVA features several obscure characters from ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'', such as the Mock Turtle (played by Viscount of Druitt), the Pigeon (played by Ash and Angela) and the giant puppy (played by Pluto), there are no {{Composite Character}}s (the Mouse and the Dormouse are played by two separate people and there is no mention of a Red Queen) and no references whatsoever are made to ''Through the Looking Glass''.* SidekickExMachina: Both Sebastian and Grell. Also, [[spoiler:Ran Mao]], although in the manga we have yet to see [[spoiler:her]] do anything plot-related apart from killing two minor characters.* SissyVillain: Grell, Grell, Grell. ** Charles Grey and Alois may also qualify.** Let's not forget the Viscount Druitt.* SlasherSmile: Grell.* SlouchOfVillainy: [[VillainProtagonist Ciel]]. He slouches when he's about to do something particularly nasty, and unless he is standing up, almost gives orders to Sebastian exclusively in this pose. Also, he does it in almost all the official art (note the image at the top of the page).* SociopathicHero: Sebastian, being a demon, shows no mercy towards his master's enemies.* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Grell(e) Sutcliff(e).** Ran-Mao or Lan Mao.** Maylene, May-Rin, Mey-Rin, Mei-Rin...** Meena or Mina. The English manga release from Yen Press chose the latter while Creator/FUNimation's anime release chose the former spelling.** Bardroy, Baldroy.** Middleford vs Midford. The English release from Yen Press chose for latter, but the former was the first to be widely accepted, so there's been some confusion.* SpotOfTea: ''Lots''. This is VictorianLondon, after all.* StraightManAndWiseGuy: Ciel and Sebastian.* SuperDeformed: The first ending has the characters portrayed in this style.** Tanaka, to the point of it being a {{Lampshade}}d, RunningGag.* SuperStrength: [[spoiler:Finnian has SuperStrength as a side-effect of going through human experiments]].* TalkingIsAFreeAction: {{Averted|Trope}}[=/=][[ParodiedTrope somewhat parodied]] in Chapter 33 of the manga, although it's PlayedForDrama. When [[spoiler:Dagger and Beast run into the lobby of the Phantomhive Manor, Bardroy is blocking their way on the stairs, addressing them both casually...then, right in the middle of the intimidating speech, Dagger throws a few knives at his head, which Bard blocks with a pair of frying pans, quickly taking offense to Dagger interrupting him]].-->'''Bard:''' H-hey! That's dangerous, I was in the middle of talking!* TallDarkAndHandsome: Our favorite butler from Hell, Sebastian, fits the bill perfectly.* TallDarkAndSnarky: Sebastian again. While he is indeed very competent, he can't resist pointing this out to others or making smart remarks about their shortcomings. * TeenGenius: Ciel. Though his character falls more under the ChildProdigy trope, he's 13 for most of the series, so he's technically a teen.* TenLittleMurderVictims: The premise of the Murder Mystery arc.* ThemeNaming[=/=]NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Snake's snakes are named {{Bronte}}, Oscar, {{Wilde}}, {{Keats}}, {{Wordsworth}}, and Webster.* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Ciel emphasizes this to Joker in chapter 32.* TheThingThatGoesDoink: This Japanese mainstay is an item in the Phantomhive garden, despite its being in Victorian England.* ThoseTwoGuys: Soma and Agni.* ThreeAmigos: Finnian, Bardroy, and Mey-Rin.* TinCanTelephone: UpToEleven--replace the cans with [[spoiler:paintings]] at one end and [[spoiler:''dozens'' of gramophone horns]] on the other. * TooDumbToLive: Elizabeth, you don't follow a stranger who doesn't even act as if he was human, you don't go on a boat in a middle of a ''storm'' just to find a dear, you don't follow your fiancé just to make him eat a cake when he's with a gun and tells you to go back because it's dangerous.** This subverted as of chapter 57, though, where it's shown that [[spoiler:[[LittleMissBadass she's perfectly capable of handling herself]], more so than [[DistressedDude Ciel]], and may have been following to keep an eye on him]]. Plus, those first two examples were solely in the anime.* TookALevelInBadass: In the anime's second season, thanks to [[spoiler:Alois's wish that neither Claude nor Sebastian would be able to eat Ciel's soul]], Ciel [[spoiler:is now a demon--red eyes, black fingernails, and all--with an even more powerful demon (Sebastian) as his servant]].** [[spoiler:Elizabeth during the Campania arc.]]* TooKinkyToTorture: Sebastian (in episode 20), Grell, and the Undertaker.* TraumaCongaLine: Ciel may count as type B, though we are first introduced to him as an already [[CreepyChild cynical]], [[JerkassWoobie messed up]] kid, rather than having him slowly developing into a villain.* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Ciel.** Alois as well. For the whole first episode, he goes from acting completely [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent]] to downright [[AxCrazy crazy]] within a few seconds, and switches back and forth between the two personas. Not to mention, he acts as if he is trying to seduce any male character within five feet of him. Which is, sadly, TruthInTelevision. Many childhood sexual abuse victims end up acting like this because their trauma never allowed them to develop healthy ways of interacting with adults.* TrueCompanions: Ciel's house staff trio.** The circus crew.** The four prefects are revealed to be this, to the point of [[spoiler:covering up multiple murders]] for each other.* UsedToBeASweetKid: Ciel provides the page image. He's shown to have been extremely shy, cute, and incredibly sweet before his parent's murder.* VictorianBritain: The Jack the Ripper arc and Ciel's birthdate and mentioned age nails the timeline down--the start of the manga/anime is around the late summer of 1888.* VillainProtagonist: In most stories, the amoral demon and his bitter, driven master would be undeniable antagonists, especially given how little they hesitate about [[spoiler:killing people who get in their way, seducing people for information, etc]]. Given how sympathetically they're portrayed, [[spoiler:chapter 34]] comes as a bit of a shock.** Alois and Claude are much worse than Ciel and Sebastian.* VitriolicBestBuds: Ciel and Sebastion are about as close as a boy who sold his soul to a soul-eating devil can be.* WaifFu: Again, [[spoiler:Elizabeth]].* WeDoNotKnowEachOther: Typically happens when Ciel goes undercover, but wants Sebastian on hand.* WhamEpisode: Chapter 94. [[spoiler:Ciel has unintentionally broken the contract, allowing Sebastian to devour his soul ''before'' he gains his revenge]].** Chapter 60. Even if you already knew that [[spoiler:Undertaker is a Shinigami]], not a lot of people guessed [[spoiler:he was behind the zombies/Bizarre Dolls]].** Chapter 97 and 98: [[spoiler:The whole "werewolf forest" is a part of a top-secret military project, made specifically so ChildProdigy Siegliende would spend her life developing a formula for a unbeatable chemical weapon. Her whole world was designed in such a way that there would be not a single thing that would distract Siegliende or make her suspect anything. And who was behind the "Green Witch" project? Her own mother]]!* WhamShot: For most fans, the surprise was already ruined by the anime, and, without color, it's hard to tell, but [[spoiler:the first shot of the Undertaker's eyes]] in chapter 59 counts as one for at least some of the fans, and is one in-universe for the other characters.* WhatBeautifulEyes: Ciel, [[http://www.mangareader.net/102-2017-4/kuroshitsuji/chapter-8.html described quite vividly by Viscount von Druitt during the underground auction in both the manga and anime]].-->'''Von Druitt:''' [His] eyes are bright and beautiful, the color of the ocean, with a deep contrasting color of the forest. They are mismatched, but to the discerning buyer, that will only increase [his] value.* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: Ciel.** He's learning to put it to good use.* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Charles Grey, one of the queen's butlers seem to be this.** Ash as well, despite being an angel.** As of the Campania arc, [[spoiler:UNDERTAKER]].* WholeCostumeReference: The dress Ciel wears to the party is the famous dress from ''Theatre/MyFairLady''.* WickedCultured: Ciel and Sebastian.* WitchSpecies: The village in the "werewolf's forest" is filled with women which ancestors were witches who ran away to avoid being executed. [[CuteWitch Sieglinde]] is the current "Green Witch" and lord of the village. [[spoiler:Subverted, as Siegliende holds no real power--she isn't even a witch, she was manipulated all along into believing she was one]].* {{Yandere}}: In the anime, [[spoiler: the ''Queen,'' surprisingly.]] Of the worst sort.** Also: Grell. The anime seems to play it as (attempted) BlackComedyRape, but in the manga, Grell comes off as just plain demented for Madame Red and then Sebastian.** Baron Kelvin [[{{Shotacon}} for Ciel]].** Undertaker (possibly) for Ciel. He already had considerable subtext towards Cielm and in chapter 64 [[spoiler:he tries to kill Sebastian because he thinks he is making Ciel miserable]].** Sebastian displays extreme possessiveness over Ciel's soul to Claude, so he may fit the bill as well.* YaoiFangirl: Mey-Rin.* YouDidntAsk: Ciel's reply to Sebastian in volume 8 of the {{manga}}, when Sebastian asked Ciel why he never brought up that [[spoiler:he had asthma]].* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Arthur the Wordsmith, a supporting character in the murder arc, is really Creator/ArthurConanDoyle at the very beginning of his writing career.* YourSoulIsMine: Sebastian to Ciel, in a variant where both parties consent to this, and the soul won't be devoured just yet. [[spoiler:Until chapter 94]].* ZettaiRyouiki: The new Earl in ''Kuroshitsuji II'', Alois Trancy, has some Grade A ZettaiRyouiki in the first episode. Mind you, he's wearing knickerbockers, not a skirt.** Mey-Rin in [[spoiler:[[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090803013421/kuroshitsuji/images/0/03/Maylene_sniper.png sniper mode]]]] comes to mind as well.[[/folder]][[folder: Anime Only]]* AbnormalLimbRotationRange: The Dolls.* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: A relatively minor one, but Grell's line where she explains that she sympathizes with Madame Red's infertility [[spoiler:and motive for murdering prostitutes who came to her for abortions]] because she can't bear a child either (seeing as she [[{{Transsexual}} doesn't have a uterus]]) is cut. This makes it sound like her ''only'' reason for [[spoiler:going rogue to become her sidekick]] was that [[spoiler:she thought her viciousness was cute]].* AlternateContinuity: Starting at episode 7, the anime no longer follows the manga.** Several of the cast's anime renditions are also quite different in character from their manga counterparts.* AnimationBump: The second season has noticeably higher quality animation than the first, probably due to it both being made two years later and being only half the length of the first season. This is especially evident in the first episode of the second season when Claude is remaking the dining room to look like it did when the first Earl Trancy was alive and the animation is absolutely stunning.* ArtificialHuman: Drocell. It's painfully obvious even before straw starts spilling out of his head.* ArtShift[=/=]FoodPorn: In episode 14, when Ciel is discussing entering in the curry contest, it shows a hyper-realistic shrimp curry in the background behind Sebastian.* BackUpTwin: Edward Abberline in ''Kuroshitsuji II'' is the twin brother of Fred Abberline from the first season. However their personalities are quite a bit different [[spoiler:and Ciel doesn't remember Abberline's death anyway]] so he fails to make the connection.* BittersweetEnding[=/=]DownerEnding: Both seasons of the anime are one of these, depending on your personal interpretation of Ciel, Sebastian and their relationship.** In season one, [[spoiler:Ciel has finally achieved his revenge, bringing down the mad FallenAngel who slew his parents, destroying the twisted puppet-Queen Victoria she commanded, and stopping her plans for genocide of the human race. However, he has been seriously wounded and, furthermore, it's time to pay the piper; his last words before losing consciousness are to tell Sebastian to make it as painful as possible, even as Sebastian leans in to devour Ciel's soul at last]].** In season two, [[spoiler:Alois's spiteful last wish results in Ciel turning into a demon, meaning Sebastian cannot eat his soul. The two will be together forever, and Sebastian's pledge has trapped him in eternal service to Ciel, something that the proud demon is ''not'' happy about. Ciel, having no further purpose in the human world, sends out cards about his death to all his allies, gives his mansion to his former servants, and our last sight is of him and Sebastian implicitly plunging back into Hell together]].* [[GirlInABox Boy In A Box]]: Ciel in season 2.* BritishAccents: What else did you expect the dub to do?* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: All over the place in episode 20. Fitting, considering Lau's story and [[spoiler:the fatal blow to both the Phantomhive Company, which may or may not recover, and the deaths of Lau and Abberline]].* ButtMonkey: Abberline in season 2 episode 4.** Grell, too.* ChekhovsArmoury: There are more [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] in the anime than in the manga (unless you count the ChekhovsArmoury limited to the Murder arc), probably because the anime has had two seasons with different concluding plots, and there might be some [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] that have been shown in the manga but haven't been revealed as important yet.** Ciel's brand is a symbol used by the underlings of his parent's killer.** [[spoiler:Pluto's collar]] is a mind-control device.** Unlike in the manga, Ciel's ring has actual plot importance in both seasons, albeit for two different reasons. First, it [[spoiler:marks him as a target for an insane Doll maker]] as a PlotDeviceAllAlong. Then, it [[spoiler:houses his soul, prompting his memory loss and the entire second season]].*** In the latter season, it's a ChekhovsBoomerang, since a different ring is later used [[spoiler:to store Aloise’s soul]] the same way Ciel’s ring was used. The effect lasts much longer (in terms of screen time, at least) and plays an even more crucial role in the plot than the first example does.** ChekhovsGag: Before we see Finny fight, there's a scene where he deals with his sadness by running through the forest and barreling down all the trees in his path without stopping or so much as flinching.*** In the third episode, Grell accidentally makes skull-shaped topiary out of EVERY bush in the manor. "His" repeated suicide attempts also count.** ChekhovsGunman: Ash is first seen as Queen Victoria's nameless escort/servant during the Curry Contest.*** [[spoiler:Lau]], the comic relief and exposition character, eventually becomes a formidable villain.** ChekhovsGift: Although the gift is never given, the ring that Lizzy plans to give to Ciel to replace the one she broke.** ChekhovMIA: Zigzagged, as the character is [[spoiler:technically]] shown, but the audience doesn't get to see the face[[note]]Or any skin, for that matter[[/note]] or hear the voice of [[spoiler:Queen Victoria]] in a scene where the manga included it.** ChekhovsSkill: Agni failed to hit Sebastian’s pressure points when they fought, but later he uses pressure points to snap people out of hypnosis.* ChickMagnet: Sebastian, in the anime, at least. Sebastian has been shown to be attractive to Ciel's aunt, three nuns (one of which he [[spoiler:has sex with for information, ON SCREEN, no less]]), and an ''angel''. Wow.* CuteAndPsycho: Alois. Throughout the first episode of the new season he flips from sweet and innocent to AxCrazy so many times, it could make someone dizzy.** Possibly {{Yandere}} for Claude--much of [[CreepyChild what he does]] can be attributed to him [[LoveMakesYouEvil trying to impress Claude]].** Also Luca.* CombatCommentator: Viscount Druitt in Episode 7 of the second season. He would be a walking BigLippedAlligatorMoment otherwise.* DemotedToExtra: Tanaka pretty much vanishes after episode 2 of season 2. He finally reappears for about 2 seconds during the finale, and gets no spoken lines.* DespairEventHorizon: Ciel, if his indifference to Sebastian's inevitable consumption of his soul once he finishes his RoaringRampageOfRevenge is any indication.* DiminishingVillainThreat: In the anime, while she was never exactly a menacing character, [[spoiler:Grell the Shinigami went from being one half of Jack the Ripper and the murderer of Ciel's Aunt Red to a non-threatening goofball with safety scissors and a [[InLoveWithYourCarnage crush on Sebastian]]]].** The same can be said about the residents of the town in episode 7 of season 1. At first, they're [[spoiler:chaining people to walls to be mauled by dogs and following all sorts of weird, creepy rituals]]. Later, Sebastian and Ciel come across them...in swimsuits, doing some kind of organized exercise routine.** Viscount Druitt is also a prime example, at least in the anime. Goes from trying to sell a cross-dressed Ciel as a SexSlave to being a mere [[CampStraight campy]] lover of blue shrimp, curry, and erotic ice sculptures. [[spoiler:His manga counterpart retains his villainous nature ([[ItMakesSenseInContext We are the Phoenix]], anyone?) but he's still never much of a threat or challenge]].* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Sebastian's true form, although not so much in the manga. He takes his true form to combat Angela/Ash at the end of season 1. We never see it (aside from a pair of thigh or knee high leather high-heeled boots and a cascade of black feathers) but from Angela/Ash's VillainousBSOD reaction, and Sebastian not wanting to see Ciel see it, it seems Sebastian's true form is beyond our capacity to handle]].* EvolvingCredits: In season 1, the opening "Monochrome Kiss" switches to its second stanza halfway through. A few episodes later, the animation completely changes for the final arc.** Of a sort, in season 2: with episode one the opening involves only the Trancy household, and then switches back and forth between that and the usual Ciel/Sebastian-centric opening as the series goes on, depending on the episode's focus.* {{Facepalm}}: Ciel in season 2 episode 3, when Sebastian has a moment of adoration over stray kitties and ignores the task at hand to do so. Really, every time Sebastian and cats are in the same frame/panel and Ciel is around.* FlipPersonality: [[spoiler:Alois' soul ends up in Ciel's body]] and both souls dispute its control. You can see [[spoiler:Alois]] is in charge because of the (not subtle) change in attitude and because the eye seal disappears.* ForeignLanguageTheme: "I'm Alive!", the English ending theme. Also a case of SurprisinglyGoodEnglish, since the vocalist, Meredith Brooks, is a native English speaker.* GeckoEnding: The ending of the first season of the anime was made into this retroactively. Season 1 ends with [[spoiler:Sebastian leaning down to devour Ciel's soul]] and later into season 2 we find out [[spoiler:that immediately after the screen fades to black he realized something was wrong and Ciel's soul was already gone, stolen by Claude]].* GhostAmnesia: The ghost of King Edward has this in the anime.* GoodCopBadCop: Abberline and his boss seem to fulfill this trope. The former pities Ciel after reading his background file and, in the anime, [[spoiler:eventually dies for him in a HeroicSacrifice]]. On the other hand, his boss was very disappointed that the Queen wouldn't let him [[spoiler: torture Ciel after they arrested him for the Lady Blanc incident]].* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:Just what WAS Ash/Angela's plan anyhow? How was turning girls into dolls, serving a crowd of innocent bystanders the HatePlague in curry form, leading an evil cult s/he was planning on killing anyway, or BURNING LONDON supposed to help with said plan? What was the soul-infused London Bridge supposed to do? Was s/he just AxCrazy, or was there some rhyme or reason? [[LeftHanging Alas, we shall never know]]...]]* HyperspaceArsenal: [[spoiler:Hannah]], apparently.* IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn: Undertaker in the anime loves the feeling of the moisture leaving his body. Unbeknownst to Grell, who tosses him in salt and keeps him buried neck-down.* IKissYourFoot: Claude does this [[spoiler:to Ciel]] in Episode 10 of Season 2...and gets kicked in the face for it. * ImageSong: Several characters get them for season 2, including Ronald Knox (who only appears ''once'').* ImAHumanitarian: Subverted. [[spoiler:In the first episode, Sebastian borrows a page from SweeneyTodd in dealing with a CorruptCorporateExecutive. However, he is later seen alive, though injured]].* InfallibleBabble: “The white dog is a good dog, a good dog good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog bad.” At first, it looks like a MadnessMantra used to control superstitious townspeople, but it turns out [[spoiler:there really was a hell hound, and the person who was controlling him was using him to punish those she deemed wicked]].* KickTheDog: In the first episode of the second season, Alois stabs his maid in the eye with his hand. For daring to look her master in the eye while serving him. ''[[DisproportionateRetribution The nerve of her]].''* LightIsNotGood: You know something's wrong when the demon butler is easier to see as heroic than the angel in the series.* LostHimInACardGame: In season 1, Ciel loses a game of chess, and Sebastian, to the ghost of King Edward and his little brother Richard. Their contract isn't broken over a silly game of chess, and Sebastian soon returns when it's most beneficial.* MediumAwareness: Season 2, Episode 6. Hannah plays this weird instrument that [[BrownNote causes intense physical pain]] in anyone who hears it. So, Agni tries to free Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard from the effects by way of PressurePoint attacks. It works...but now their voices are out of sync with their lip movements. And it actually is too, if you watch closely.** In addition, in season 1 they don't seem to make a big deal about the fact that Pluto is a demon hound, or that he can change into a human and dog form...* MoralMyopia: [[spoiler:It seems that, to Ash/Angela, everyone but him/herself is impure. When s/he [[WouldHurtAChild kills]] [[ThePurge indiscriminately]], [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood alters ]] [[FakeMemories memories]] and [[ReallyGetsAround bangs pretty much anything]] ([[BestialityIsDepraved including Pluto]]), it's all good. But [[ChildrenAreInnocent little girls who might someday]] [[GrowingUpSucks become impure adults]]? [[LivingDollCollector Make 'em into dolls]]. Does an [[UndyingLoyalty undyingly loyal]] BattleButler [[CreepyDoll Mannequinn]] dare break? [[YouHaveFailedMe Dump it]]. [[{{Cult}} Cultists]] [[PathOfInspiration who followed your every word]]? [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness All useless.]] [[{{Yandere}} The otherwise loyal queen]] [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable who dares cling to her husband's body]]? [[DyingAlone Leave her to die]]. [[VillainProtagonist That kid]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge that wants revenge]] [[StartOfDarkness because you personally ruined his life]]? [[PunctuatedForEmphasis SNUFF HIM OUT]]!]]* NeverTrustATrailer: Parodied UpToEleven in the fourth Black Butler II OVA, featuring the characters as actors. The last portion of the episode features a mock trailer for the season...consisting almost entirely of events that never happened. It gets just a ''little'' ridiculous when we see Lau and Ran-Mao show up in a UFO, and it pretty much snowballs from there.** Possibly a TakeThatUs on the part of the anime writers, acknowledging that the second season was a little insane at times, to the point where even fans who liked the second season admitted to its overall [[MindScrew mind screwiness]].* OldTimeyBathingSuit: In episode 7.* OurAngelsAreDifferent: In the anime, the BigBad is one who's very screwed up, [[spoiler: fusing males and females together in one body, killing her/his loyalty cultists when s/he has no more use for him, extremely perverted, mind-rapes the boy trying to avenge the parent s/he killed, having a minion turning little girls into dolls and then disposing of it once he's useless and setting the stage for a possible world war in the future]].* OvertookTheManga: The anime officially departs from the canon material by the fight with Grell, and goes into a completely different direction (although a few elements like Agni and Soma are included).* PaperThinDisguise: Everyone who watched the first episode of season 2 probably noticed pretty quickly that the stranger visiting Alois and Claude in the middle of the night is [[spoiler:Sebastian Michaelis]]. In addition, [[spoiler:Claude's disguise on the train. One wonders if the butlers are aware of what the word ''"disguise"'' actually means]].* ParentalIncest: [[spoiler:Subverted]]. The ''very first scene'' of Season 2 gives us the blink-you'll-miss-it visual of Alois getting out of a bed in which an old man is sleeping before the much more noticeable bruised-butt shot. Alois only mentions his father during his [[TheFakeCutie clearly false]] innocent moments, otherwise freaking out at the mention of him, stating hysterically that he "got rid of all the old man's things". The numbers of when he was "saved" from his kidnapping experience, when his father is stated to have died, and when he contracted Claude all match up. [[spoiler:The sexual abuse is confirmed in episode 8--along with the fact that it wasn't ParentalIncest, because the Earl Trancy wasn't actually Alois's father]] .* PetTheDog: In the first season of the anime, Ciel occasionally shows that he's not ''completely'' heartless, and despite mocking Abberline [[spoiler:and his StupidSacrifice]] is shown to have sent toys to his pregnant wife [[spoiler:after his death]].* PlotTailoredToTheParty: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], and somewhat [[ParodiedTrope parodied]] in episode 4 of season 2. It turns out that every passenger on the train had a ChekhovsSkill that when combined can avert the disaster at hand...but Sebastian can do everything by himself.* RedOniBlueOni: Anyone notice what color rings Ciel and Alois have?* SarcasticConfession: When Sebastian is being interrogated by the police they tell him to confess, and he admits that he was responsible for the Black Death. Since this was [[HistoricalInJoke 500 years ago]] they assume he's pulling their legs.* ShowWithinAShow: ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', in one of the extras. [[OffTheRails At least, that's what they were originally trying to perform]].* SpoilerOpening: Season 1's opening can be considered a variation of this. It does show what will happen, but in somewhat of a metaphorical way that you usually won't understand until you finish the season.* StayingAlive: [[spoiler: Sebastian, Ciel and even Lau and Ran Mao]] at the start of season 2.* StealthPun: In one episode in the first season the rest of the staff are trying (and failing hard) to get a photograph of Sebastian. They plan ways to set up the shot and distract Sebastian on a scale model of the house marking Sebastian's position with the figure of a black sheep, which is Kuro Hitsuji in Japanese.* StupidSacrifice: [[spoiler: Abberline's]] death was definitely a TearJerker, but there was no reason he had to jump in front of Ciel instead of just pushing him out of the way, therefore keeping them both alive. * TakeAThirdOption: In the anime, [[spoiler:Ciel becomes a demon to avoid having his soul devoured. However, Alois unwittingly made the choice for him]].** May be worth mentioning that Ciel seemed to have nothing against having his soul eaten.* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Alois and Claude from the anime's second season.* TwelveEpisodeAnime: Season 2 is half the length of season 1. "Book of circus" has even less episodes.* UnflinchingWalk: [[http://i51.tinypic.com/2u4lw90.png Sebastian in episode 2 of the first season.]]* UnresolvedSexualTension: ''Lots''. This series takes place in Victorian era Britain. What did you expect?* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler: Burning down London]] for purification? Okaaay.* VerbalTic: [[ArtificialHuman Drocell's]] "I reasoned" in the anime.** In certain versions, he actually says 'So I thought to myself'.* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: So whatever ''did'' happen to [[spoiler:the real Alois Trancy]]?* WhipItGood: In Episode 20 of the first season, [[spoiler:Angela]] pleases all the fangirls by whipping Sebastian.[[/folder]]